Page 6 of A Sea So Cruel
Asta used the long skirts of her dress to conceal her foot as she stomped on Kaid’s toes, and pain shot up his leg. Her voice remained innocently sweet as she said, “Oops, it seems I forgot the steps for a moment.”
Kaid held back a wince and tightened his jaw. He had never met someone so challenging, so absolutely infuriating. But he needed to go through with this to keep Haalberg from desolation. “I’ve never met someone who dislikes me so strongly before,” Kaid admitted, though he wasn’t sure why he said it.
Asta smiled, a gleam of victory glowing in her emerald eyes. “I’m honored to be the first of what I suspect will be many in your lifetime.”
Chapter 3
Asta stalked down the halls of the castle, her feet aching from a long night of dancing. She passed by rooms booming with laughter, by couples tucked away in shadowed corners, by mumbling noblemen making business deals. When she was finally safe in the west wing, she sighed in relief as she passed Tova, the female guard at the end of the hall. No one was allowed in this part of the castle except those whose suites were here, which was, to her great relief, currently only her.
The doors to her suite were slightly ajar, and she could see Linnea bustling about, preparing the rooms for her return. Asta tapped the doorframe twice, then entered her suite. Dyri, herlarge goofball of a dog, greeted her right away. He nudged her hand for pats, and Asta obliged.
“You’re back earlier than I expected. Let me go prepare your bath.” Linnea departed for the washroom in a hurry.
Asta lazily waved a hand while she pulled off her slippers and released her hair from its combs. “No rush, I’m not tired anyhow. Can you make the water a little colder than usual?”
Linnea displayed a confused expression, but said, “As you wish. Give me a moment.”
Asta was aware it was the end of summer and she shouldn’t call for a chilled bath, but she needed it tonight. Lord Kaidian had her so worked up that she needed more than a mental cooldown. He was worse than she expected. Sweet Absolon above, she could throttle him.
Asta had disliked people before, but never loathed someone as quickly as she had Kaidian. He’d caused her to break down every filter and wall she had strategically built all her life.
The wind whistled outside and Asta watched the evergreen trees bend to its will. She let out a sigh, pressing her palm to the cool glass. It had been a very, very long day, and she was drained. Movement in the waves caught her eye, and she could have sworn she spotted a woman wrapped in a blanket step into the water. She rubbed her eyes and saw that the water was clear. The exhaustion was really wearing on her.
Asta heard voices coming from the hall, which peaked her interest, since her suite was the only one occupied in this wing. She dipped her head into the hall, expecting to find conversing guards, but she was gravely disappointed at who she observed sauntering down the passage.
“Didn’t anyone tell you the stables are off the north wing? That’s where the animals sleep,” Asta mused.
Kaidian jolted, clearly shocked from her sudden appearance. He and his chief courtier must have been drinking heavily sinceshe had left the party, based on the way they were leaning on each other.
Dyri slipped by Asta’s legs in a flash of copper, black, and white, running to greet the men. The dog’s massive body slammed into Kaidian in excitement, and Asta scowled over the fact that Dyri seemed to like him.
Traitor.
Halsten pointed at Asta, a brown dress shoe in his grip. “You’re funny, Princess. I like you. Say something mean about him again.”
Asta glanced over the swaying men, noticing that it was Kaidian’s shoe that Halsten was holding. Kaidian caught her glance and wiggled his toes, wriggling his eyebrows in tandem, and Halsten let out a loud hiccup. If she didn’t despise the men so much, she would find the sight quite humorous.
“Why are you in this wing?” She asked, narrowing her eyes. She could hear Linnea behind her, shuffling around and keeping herself busy in the common room.
Kaidian splayed his arms out, gesturing to the hall around them. “Haven’t you heard, blondie? This is where we live now.”
Who would put them in her wing? Her father knew that she liked her privacy, and seemingly everyone knew how she felt about Lord Kaidian and his friend.
“Fantastic,” Asta’s voice dripped with sarcasm, but the intoxicated men likely didn’t notice. She cracked a few of her knuckles until it felt right to stop. “Safe travels from here to your door. Or not. I honestly couldn’t care either way, Kaidian.”
Asta heard Halsten burst into laughter as she started closing her door, but then she heard a faint voice through the wails of amusement.
“Kaid.”
She looked up and her eyes locked on Kaidian’s. For the first time, she noticed the unique turquoise color of his irises, like thesea on the brightest of days—which were sparse in this part of the world.
Kaidian gave her a half smile, which made her stomach somersault in an unfamiliar way. “I don’t like being called Kaidian. My friends call me Kaid.”
“We’re not friends,” Asta snapped.
Kaid grinned. “Yet.” He gave her a mock salute. “See you around, neighbor.”
Asta enjoyed watching the tides fluctuate and had each tidal pattern memorized. She had been watching the waves since she was born, playing in them during the warm summer months. She and Maren used to spend hours splashing each other and playing sirens, seeing who could best mimic the finned sea creatures’ swimming.
